A lot of people in northern India actually play ice hockey apparently, though it's more like classic shinny. It's a pretty popular novel sport.

A lot of the Indians in Metro Van are crazy about hockey. I wouldn't be surprised to see an influx of pro-Indian hockey players over the next 20 years given the sort of attention and popularity it has (and I'm told it's similar in places like Brampton).

A lot of people in northern India actually play ice hockey apparently, though it's more like classic shinny. It's a pretty popular novel sport.

A lot of the Indians in Metro Van are crazy about hockey. I wouldn't be surprised to see an influx of pro-Indian hockey players over the next 20 years given the sort of attention and popularity it has (and I'm told it's similar in places like Brampton).

Good for India though.

I coach in Brampton area and defiantly there is quite a bit of younger Indian kids getting involved but it might not be until their generations kids before we really start to see any close to NHL talent.

Over a billion people in the country and they're only getting their first arena?

They should name it the Robin Bawa Arena. He's the only Indian hockey player I've ever heard of.

It's a hot climate for most of India, it makes sense that Hockey isn't that big there for there to be an arena.

Did a quick google search for "Indo-Canadian" hockey players and it brought up these guys...

Manny Malhotra - NYR/Dal/CBJ/Sharks
Ajay Baines - WHL/AHL
Robin Bawa - Canucks back in the day
Prabh Rai - was just signed I think by the Canucks to an ELC.

Thing is, they're canadian. If these guys wanted to help promote the sport in India, this would be a good time, while there is an influx of young indo canadian hockey players playing in junior leagues. It's truly starting to become a really diverse sport.

For a country with a per capita GDP that's less than 1/10th that of the United States or Canada, I'd say getting their first ice rink is a pretty big triumph.

I knew hockey was popular up north, so it makes sense that the first rink goes there. It would be great to see India develop a competitive NT program, or at least some NHL talent within my lifetime.

We've seen ex-NHL players go to China and those parts to help build their sport up, I'd imagine a few ex-NHL players of east Indian descent would do the same. For the person that says that's pathetic, if you are just staring at the population, sure. Hockey isn't really a sport that will interest a lot of people there. I mean it's hot as hell there and people are skating around on ice in an arena. Most people play grass hockey there and cricket and some other wrestling type of thing that I saw on some special on ESPN.

This is good for hockey, in general. Forget the NHL, this is good for HOCKEY. China is involved and now India.